By Biswanath Dash
BHUBANESWAR: The Economic Offences Wing, Bhubaneswar has arrested two accused persons namely Samaresh Ranjan Das and Hemanta Panda, on 05.08.2023 from Bhubaneswar in EOW PS Case No.14 dt.03.04.2023 U/s 409/420/467/468/471/120-B IPC, r/w Sec.66 (C) of IT Act. The arrested accused persons will be produced before the Court of SDJM, Phulbani.
The case was registered on the allegation of Regional Manager State Bank of India, RBO, Phulbani, against Asutosh Acharya, the then Deputy Manager-cum-Field Officer of SBI, Phulbani Branch for illegally recommending and processing 59 No. of Xpress Credit Loans meant for the salaried person and 26 No. of Pension Loans meant for the pensioners in favour of the non-salaried persons and non-pensioners, and for misappropriating the sanctioned loan amount of Rs.8,01,87,000/- by transferring the same to the account of his family members, relatives and others. During the period from Sep’ 2021 to Sep’ 2022, Asutosh Acharyain his capacity as Dy. Manager-cum-Field Officer, SBI, Phulbani Branch in conspiracy with the arrested accused persons and others fraudulently recommended and processed 59 No. of Xpress Credit Loans ofRs.6,77,30,000/- meant for the salaried persons in favour of the non-salaried persons.
Similarly, 26 No. of Pension Loans amounting to Rs.99,82,795/-meant for the pensioners were illegally processed and recommended by the accused in favour of the non-pensioners including his father, mother and father-in-law (dead). The loans were sanctioned on the basis of the recommendation of Shri Acharya basing on the fake/forged documents like salary slips etc. The sanctioned amounts were being landed in the SB A/c of the borrowers beyond their knowledge, and the amounts were further being diverted to different accounts including the accounts of the above noted
Accused Samaresh Ranjan Das and that of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd., Naharakanta, Balianta, of which the arrested accused HemantaPanda is the Secretary. As found on investigation, Rs.1.46 Crores and Rs.47,43,104/- have directly been credited to the accounts of Samaresh Ranjan Das and respectively whereas amount of more than Rs 3 Crores of the fraud amount has been diverted to the account of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative SocietyLtd, and the amount has been misappropriated by the accused persons Samaresh Ranjan Das, a Civil Supply Inspector (under suspension) and Hemanta Panda, the Secretary of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd and Asutosh Acharya, the then Deputy Manager-cum-Field Officer, SBI, Phulbani Branch.
They are learnt to put the fraud amount into illegal money circulation. The accused persons are highly ambitious and were trying to make easy money by investing the loan amount in some other profitable businesses. The loans were sanctioned in the name of different ineligible persons and that to without the knowledge of the borrowers even. The accused persons misappropriated the total loan amount of Rs.8,01,87,000/- and to cover it upthey have managed the make payment of some initial EMIs of the loans. Earlier, the main accused Asutosh Acharya has been arrested and forwarded to court. The investigation of the case is on.
